


Call of the Sea

by Snugglebuttkitten



Series: AU August [5]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Actual Disney Princess Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Kwamis, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Cat Plagg, Dolphin Tikki, Gen, Lost Princess AU, Moana/Little Mermaid AU, Reverse Crush AU, Royalty AU, Talking Animal Sidekicks, Underwater kingdoms, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-29 02:46:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15720390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snugglebuttkitten/pseuds/Snugglebuttkitten
Summary: For years, she was known as the Miracle Baby of Seapoint Cove. Discovered as an infant floating in the ocean on a bed of seaweed, Marinette was taken and raised in the human world. Never knowing where she came from, or even how she came to be. Her only clue was the ever-present sea that called to her in a way nothing else did.Prince Adrien Agreste knows the story well. How the kind King and Queen of Coccinelle were barren, unable to produce an heir, and so they went to the Sea Witch Lila to assist them with their problem. How Lila, in turn, graced them with a small child with hair as black as night and eyes as blue as the endless sea around them. But there was a catch. The young Princess was woefully human and would remain so until her eighteenth birthday, at which point she has three months to claim her crown willingly or be cursed as a human for the rest of her days.Now, young Prince Adrien has a choice. Go out and find the young Princess, bring her back to the ocean where she belongs and marry the girl he has been betrothed to since birth... or sit back and do nothing. Permit nature to take its course, as his father wishes, and take the Coccinelle Throne for himself.





	1. The Miracle Baby of Seapoint Cove

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this instead of the three other half-done chapters for my other AU August entries... But I got this idea out of the blue and I really didn't wanna lose my muse so, here we go! My Moana/Little Mermaid AU, haha. This will cover days 11 (Mermaid) and 12 (Royalty)
> 
> Kinda a speed write and it's unbetaed so honestly, this might suck but the rest of the chapters ought to be better

The Coccinelle Kingdom was a beautiful place. Laying deep beneath the Ocean’s rippling waves, it is said to rival even Atlantis in its beauty. Perhaps the most beautiful thing about Coccinelle are its beloved King and Queen. Tom and Sabine were gentle souls. Kind and generous, they led their kingdom through its most peaceful era yet. The subjects were content with their lives, never wanting for much of anything, and it was assumed that their beloved King and Queen felt the same. But there was one thing missing, something that left a void in their lives and a hole in their hearts. For you see, no matter how hard they tried, the King and Queen continuously failed to produce an heir. It saddened the Queen greatly, for she was a maternal sort who had always imagined raising a brood of little ones and at this point, even one child would suffice. Alas, the years dragged on and their efforts waned until they had all but given up hope.

King Tom despaired, watching his wife mourn their lack of children so strongly. He was a loving husband, and he truly wanted to give his Queen all that her heart desired. If all she wanted was a child, surely he could give her that? So, the King made a fateful decision to go before the sea witch. Known as the Vixen of the Sea, Lady Lila lived not far from the borders of Coccinelle in a deep, dark cave, where she often practiced mysterious magic. The Queen begged her husband to reconsider, for she knew the dangers of trusting such a wicked creature. The Sea Witch was a known trickster with cunning wit and a silver tongue. She was not to be trusted. But Tom lamented, begging his Queen to at least consider this option, for it was their last hope of ever conceiving an heir. The Queen eventually agreed, her desperation for a child to call her own winning out over common sense, and so it was that the King and Queen found themselves in the deepest, darkest cave in all the seven seas.

It was there that they found the Sea Witch Lila, in all of her glory. She was a stunning specimen, with long chestnut hair, brilliant green eyes, and a fiery orange and white tail. Lila was understandably curious, having never before been graced with the presence of such kind and just people. Her usual customers were corrupt and evil, after all. She listened to their plight with understanding nods and sympathetic hums and when they were done she began to scheme, as Sea Witches are wont to do. Eventually, Lila told the King and Queen that she could help them overcome their inability to conceive, but warned them that her magic was volatile and unpredictable. Often, there were unforeseen consequences that not even she could prevent.

After much debate, the King and Queen agreed to take the risk, and with a wave of her hand Lila conjured up a potion. She sent the pair on their way with careful instructions, and then it was only a matter of waiting. The King and Queen followed her instructions to a tee, and within a fortnight it became evident that she was with child. The King and Queen rejoiced their good fortune, and when it came time to bear the child Queen Sabine made the journey to land to give birth to their new daughter for you see, a Mermaid must take human form in order to bear a child or copulate their marriage. So it was the Queen gave birth to a beautiful baby girl with hair as black as the night, skin as fair as porcelain, and eyes as blue as the sea they called home. She was a stunning child, and Queen Sabine knew for certain that she would be the most beautiful Princess to ever swim the seven seas.

Days after the Princess’ birth, Queen Sabine returned to the ocean to present her child to the court and christen her with a name. But when she dove beneath the waves with the child wrapped securely in her arms, the magic that should have kicked in did not. The child did not sprout a tail, and the near-invisible gills that should have appeared along her ribs did not. The child thrashed, unable to breathe, and it was all Sabine could do to get her back to the surface less she drown in her very arms. When Queen Sabine failed to return with their child, Tom went in search of the pair. He found them near the beach in which he had deposited her to birth their child, tears streaking her face as she struggled to breath. After all, a mermaid can only spend so much time on land before they must return to the ocean. For the ocean is life and is what sustains the mermaids and permits them to exist at all.

Hearing that his beloved newborn daughter was little more than a human, the gentle King Tom flew into a rage and ordered his guards to fetch the Sea Witch and bring her to shore, so that she might fix her mistake. But when Lila arrived, she took one look at the wee babe and shook her head, face a mask of mock sorrow. There was nothing she could do, she explained. The child would remain in the human world until her eighteenth birthday. Then, and only then could she claim her birthright as the Princess of Coccinelle. However, she warned, if the Princess failed to take her birthright by the end of the third month after her eighteenth birthday, she would forfeit her birthright and remain in the human world forever. The Kingdom of Coccinelle would then fall to the hands of King Gabriel Agreste and his young Prince, who Lila had been secretly working for all along. 

Tom and Sabine despaired once more, but there was really very little they could do. The child was human for the time being, and if they took her beneath the waves that sustained their lives, it would surely only vanquish hers. So the King and Queen took her along the shore to the little town that lay closest to the Kingdom of Coccinelle. There, they lay her on a bed of seaweed, infused with magic so that it might never break apart or sink beneath the child’s weight. Then, they waited, until eventually a boat came along and discovered the child. Tom and Sabine watched as their child was fished from the water and cradled in the arms of a human woman. They watched until the boat had turned back to shore, until it had been docked, until the woman disappeared into the small town with their daughter wrapped securely in her arms.

Long after they were out of sight, Queen Sabine remained in the shallow water, daring to hope for a glimpse of her little girl. Only when night had fallen and the moon rose high in the sky did she allow her husband to guide her back to their Kingdom. That night, as she lay in bed, the queen vowed that she would one day be reunited with her daughter. No matter what the cost, the lost Princess would come home. She wouldn’t rest until it happened.

  


In another part of the Ocean, not too far from the Coccinelle borders, lay the Papillon Kingdom. Once a peaceful and happy Kingdom, Papillon is led by the deranged King Gabriel, who it is said went crazy after the death of his beloved Queen, Emilie. His one saving grace, the son bore from their union, the young Prince Adrien. Prince Adrien was a kind and happy boy, much like the late Queen in both temperament and looks. He was a sweet, inquisitive little boy who accepted his future duty with an unwavering smile. Three years older than the Coccinelle Princess, young Prince Adrien barely batted an eye when it was decided that he would wed the young Princess when he came of age. Such was the duty of the crowned Prince of Papillon and despite his youth, he took his duty very seriously. Especially if that duty meant uniting the Kingdoms in peace, as opposed to war.

It was when he was ten years old that the young Prince discovered his father’s true plans. Instead of uniting the kingdoms, his father wished to take over Coccinelle completely. That meant ensuring the young Princess never returned to the ocean to claim her birthright. But how was one to ensure Queen Sabine and King Tom never approached their daughter themselves to explain her heritage and bring her back with them? Gabriel thought long and hard on this problem, and the answer eventually came to him one day as he watched his young son playing in the Palace Gardens. Of course, the Prince was betrothed to the lost Princess. Who better to bring her back into the fold than he? Or so that is what King Gabriel proposed his idea to Tom and Sabine the next time he saw them.

The King and Queen were trusting sorts, and though they didn’t entirely like or trust King Gabriel, they did both like and trust the young Prince Adrien. He was his mother’s son, after all, and they firmly believed not even King Gabriel’s darkness could taint or corrupt the young boy. So they agreed that Adrien would be permitted to draw the Princess back into the fold by any means necessary upon her eighteenth birthday. King Gabriel, in turn, informed his son in no uncertain terms that he was to do everything in his power to ensure the Princess never learned of her birthright. As soon as the three months was up, the Kingdom of Coccinelle would be theirs and they would be more powerful even than King Triton himself. It was the perfect plan. Always a people pleaser, young Prince Adrien agreed to his father’s terms, even though they left a bad taste in his mouth and a queasy feeling in his gut.

The Prince, of course, continued to grow into a fine and handsome young man. With his good looks, he was quite popular among the young Mer-Maidens of the Court. Socially awkward and sheltered as he was, Adrien wasn’t a big fan of the attention and so he began to take long swims away from the Kingdom. All he wanted was a small taste of freedom; he never imagined he would happen across the lost Princess one day. But happen across her he did, first on her adoptive parent’s boat, and then a few nights later in the water for a late night swim. Curiosity got the best of young Prince Adrien and he began to travel frequently to the small seaside town to watch the young woman. She spent a lot of time on or in the water, that much became obvious fairly quickly.

Occasionally, Prince Adrien would see her on the shore in the daylight hours, a book in hand as soaked up the sun’s rays. More often than not, however, she preferred to be safely ensconced within the waves. Adrien couldn’t blame her. Human, though she was at the moment, she was a Mermaid by birth. The Call of the Sea existed within all Merfolk and it was a powerful thing indeed. He could only hope that when the day came that the Princess unknowingly gave up her birthright, the Call of the Sea would disappear as well. He didn’t want to imagine her suffering her whole life through, drawn to the waves with no understanding of why. He had heard stories of Merfolk, stripped of their tails for committing crimes far too great to mention, who had gone insane from the Sea’s call. He didn’t want to think of her going through something like that.

It was on a day when he was fifteen and she was twelve, that Prince Adrien finally learned of her name. Lurking in the water, the Prince watched as her family and friends celebrated her twelfth birthday atop their fishing boat. Normally, the young Prince kept a safe distance away. Able to see, but not able to hear much. That night, however, under the sheltering darkness, he allowed himself to draw right up to the side of the boat and listen in. Marinette was her name, and it was such a befitting name of the young Princess that Adrien felt a gentle smile curve his lips. After that night, Adrien often tried to get as close as possible without being seen. There were times when she was swimming and he would inch up under her, close enough he could have touched her if he so chose.

He found he enjoyed watching Marinette. She was an interesting young girl, with a quick wit and sharp tongue, but as gentle in nature as her parents were. She had a bubbly laugh that filled him with joy, and she laughed quite often as she splashed in the waves with her friends. Her laugh soon became Adrien’s favorite sound in all the Seven Seas and it got to the point where Adrien spent almost every day in the waters near Seapoint Cove, desperate for even just a glimpse of his beautiful Princess. It dawned on him, of course, that he really ought not to think of her as his Princess, when his job was to ensure she never became the Princess, but he couldn’t help it.

It was around the time he was eighteen that Adrien realized with a start that he was in love with the Princess and that the last thing he wanted to do was cheat her out of her birthright. Quite the contrary, he wanted to thrust that birthright upon her and demand his in return. After all, he was her betrothed, even if she didn’t know it yet. Of course, Adrien could hardly tell his father of his plans. If he did, he knew his father might try to harm his Princess and Adrien couldn’t bear for that to happen. So he kept quiet and continued watching her from afar, biding his time until the day he could tell her everything. It was on her seventeenth birthday that the Prince met his Princess face to face for the very first time. She had been swimming, he watching from afar like usual, when she disappeared under the water and didn’t reappear.

Worried, the Prince dove down after her and found two of his father’s trusted Stingrays dragging her down, down to the very depths of the ocean. Petrified for her life, the Prince freed her from their grasp and dragged her to shore, staying only long enough to ensure her safety before diving back down to confront his father. He found the King in his throne room, waiting for him. Adrien flew into a righteous rage, demanding his father leave the Princess alone and admitting that he loved her and fully intended on marrying her, should she accept his proposal when the time came. King Gabriel listened to his son without batting an eye, and when the Prince had spent himself completely he spoke.

He told his son that he knew of his feelings; that it’s why he had attempted to fix the problem himself. He warned his son that if he didn’t go through with the plan of keeping the Princess away from her birthright, he would make certain the Princess perished the way she should have when she was a wee babe, in the waves that gave them life. The Prince was horrified, for he knew his father to be a man of his word and he feared for Marinette’s safety now more than ever. So he agreed to his father’s terms if only to protect his Princess from King Gabriel’s greedy clutches. That final year, Adrien resisted seeing his Princess in hopes of distancing himself from the problem. But as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder and the young Prince knows without a doubt that keeping the Princess from her birthright will be the hardest task he has ever faced.


	2. The Itch That Can't Be Scratched

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a bit of a glimpse into Marinette's life to get the ball rolling. In the next chapter, I promise Adrien will make an appearance as will a few other characters. Stay tuned to find out who ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys! So many Kudos already on my sucky Mermaid fic?? Y'all spoil me I swear. But the muse is still high so hopefully, this chapter will be better than the first (IMO). 
> 
> Also, if anyone is curious, this fic isn't set in France or even Europe. Seapoint Cove is completely made up but it's set in Hawaii for this story. It's a small town on a rather sparsely populated island. The little town of Seapoint Cove is the only town on the island and basically consists of a town, a boardwalk like the one on Venice Beach, and absolutely gorgeous white sand beaches. The town is usually only populated by residents but they are a tourist hotspot in the summer, which is when this fic will take place.
> 
> Basically, like the image in the link below, but instead of fields there would be a heavily forested Volcano behind the town
> 
> http://www.prideofmaui.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/2014-04-22_0003.jpg
> 
> Happy reading, my lovelies.

_**For those of you who are curious, this is the image I was going for when trying to design[Bri's Diner](http://static.wixstatic.com/media/1ed7e0_8283b564aabcc6caf9142bfc5d433a05.jpg/v1/fill/w_784,h_507,al_c,q_90,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01/1ed7e0_8283b564aabcc6caf9142bfc5d433a05.webp). Kind of a more feminine spin on the old retro diner look. They're mostly a bakery but they do serve regular food as well.** _

~~**______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________** ~~

 

It was always stronger when the moon was at its fullest. With the double french doors leading out to the balcony open to let in the humid breeze, the silver light of the full moon fell across her carpet and illuminated her bare legs. Sitting in her desk chair, hunched over her Calculus homework, Marinette Fu shifted uncomfortably. It always started as a tingle, beginning in her toes before working it’s way up her feet, past her ankles and her calves. By the time it reached her waist, it was a full-blown itch. Her nails raked idly against skin that felt too-dry, but she knew it would only offer the briefest of reprieves. Her eyes trailed to the left, to focus on the black and red Ladybug shaped alarm clock that sat on her bedside table. The time read **1:06 AM** in flashing green letters. She knew she shouldn’t. Her parents had warned her countless times that she wasn’t to go to the ocean alone or at night. It was dangerous.

That being said, she also knew the itch wouldn’t stop until she was completely surrounded by the warm, salty waters she loved so much. It would only build and grow until her cheeks were flushed and her legs felt like they were on fire and her skin felt too tight and there was an ache in her chest that just wouldn’t go away. She wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight, and then she would be tired all day at work tomorrow. Surely it was better to sneak away now for a quick dip than to lay awake in bed all night and rush to the shores first thing in the morning. Besides, she had only come close to drowning once in her lifetime. She didn’t remember much of that night, only that it had felt like something was dragging her down, into the very depths of the ocean. She had thought she was going to die, and then he had appeared. His features always seemed foggy when she tried to think back on the boy who had saved her, only recalling his sharp green eyes and that halo of golden hair in perfect clarity. Hard as she had tried to find him, she never did see hide nor hair of her savior and often had to wonder if he was a figment of her imagination.

Regardless, Marinette Fu was a superb swimmer. She had been swimming since before she could stand, surfing since before she could properly walk. The ocean was a part of her, and it was calling to her now. To hell with the consequences, she would just have to make sure she didn’t get caught. She glanced at her Calculus homework with a grimace. Summer was upon them and the young woman was trying to get her prerequisites out of the way before Fall so that she might focus entirely on the Fashion Degree she intended on getting. Luckily, her homework wasn’t due for another three days. She had plenty of time to come back to it later, and work was probably going to be fairly slow tomorrow anyway. She could study during her breaks. Decision made, the girl shoved eagerly back from her desk and headed for her closet, rifling through the clothing until she found a pink bikini top covered in white polka dots and a pair of darker pink board shorts.

Getting dressed, she tied her midnight hair into a tight ponytail atop her head and grabbed her keys from the crystal bowl atop her dresser. From among the mass of pillows atop her bed, her black cat watched her with glowing green eyes. She had adopted Plagg when he was a kitten, discovering the small black kitten struggling amongst the waves from which she, herself, had come from all those years ago. Perhaps that is why she felt such kinship to the intelligent little feline, who more often than not seemed to understand exactly what she was saying to him. “You coming with, kitty?” She asked in a hushed whisper. The cat seemed to debate for a moment before slowly unfurling his sleek body and hopping from the bed with a tinkle of the golden bell about his throat. Smiling, the young woman eased the bedroom door open and peeked out into the near pitch black hall. The house is silent, save for the ticking of the old grandfather clock on the first floor. Her parents would have gone to bed ages ago since they had to wake up early to open the diner they ran.

Slipping from the room with the cat at her heels, Marinette eased her door shut and hurried down the hall. Accustomed to sneaking out far too often, she expertly avoided any of the floorboards or stairs that liked to squeak and groan as she made her way to bottom floor and out the kitchen side door. Once outside, she breathed a sigh of relief. The air was humid, thick with the scent of the nearby ocean, and it was like a balm to her soul as she headed for her jeep and started her up. Plagg hopped into the passenger’s seat, where his little kitty car seat sat, and before long they were heading down to the nearest beach access point. It was less than a five minute drive before she was parking in the deserted lot, pulling her surfboard from the back of the jeep and kicking off her flip-flops. She didn’t waste much time, heading across the cool sand and stepping into the ocean’s waves.

Absolute bliss. The tension of the past week seemed to seep away instantly as the cool water brushed against her skin and she wanted nothing more than to dive down and allow the deep blue waters to encompass her completely. So that’s exactly what she did, leaving her board on shore for the time being. The water felt heavenly, seeming to infuse her skin with life wherever it touched. She felt alive for the first time in a week, having been too busy with her high school graduation to make time to go to the ocean. She stayed beneath the waves for as long as she could, which was admittedly much longer than anyone else she had ever met, and when she finally resurfaced she came face to face with Plagg. The cat was treading water, carefully keeping his nose above the water as he glared at her balefully through slitted green eyes. He was an odd cat. Not afraid of water, though he didn’t exactly like it either. He only ever entered the water willingly if he was worried about her. Reaching out, she scratched him beneath the chin before heading back to shore to grab her surfboard.

The cat followed, shaking out his fur fiercely when they reached the beach. Sitting down, he drew his tongue rapidly over his soaked fur, nose wrinkling at the salty taste. Marinette watched him for a moment in amusement, before finally hoisting the board up under one arm. She turned away, back to the waves, when a plaintive meow drew her attention back to the cat. He had paused in his grooming and was watching her with an annoyed look on his face. The cat never could seem to understand her fascination with the water, but then again, he was a cat. She really shouldn’t be that surprised. “I’ll be back in a bit, Plagg,” she soothed, turning to head back into the water. Plagg meowed again, louder, and this time padded after her. His soft, wet muzzle bumped against her ankle as he head-butted her gently.

“Would you like to come with, Plagg? Perhaps we’ll see Tikki while we’re out,” she enticed, almost laughing when the cat perked up immediately at the name. Tikki was what Marinette had named Plagg’s Dolphin friend. They had met her when she was just a calf and Plagg barely more than a kitten. It had been the cat’s first time on the surfboard and Marinette was just drifting in the waters, trying to get him used to being on the board when the little dolphin had nudged the board hard enough to knock it over. Though the dolphins around their little island home were typically friendly enough, Tikki was the most friendly Marinette had encountered by far and after that first meeting she would often show up whenever the young woman was surfing.

Setting the board in the water, she chuckled as Plagg immediately leaped to the head of the board before she lay down and began to paddle out. Her strokes were sure and confident from years of practice, and when she was a good distance from shore she sat up and waited. She didn’t have to wait long. Seapoint Cove was known for its excellent surfing conditions and within moments she was up on the board, knees bent and feet apart as she caught the wave and rode it back to shore. Plagg, in turn, spread his legs and dug his claws in for additional purchase. They surfed for close to an hour before finally calling it quits. Plagg was noticeably disappointed at not seeing Tikki, but Marinette wasn’t too terribly surprised. It was late, after all, and Tikki’s pod was probably sleeping out in deeper water.

Returning home, Marinette sneaked back up to her room and peels off her wet clothing, stashing them in the very bottom of her hamper so as not to arouse suspicion. Pulling on a nightgown, she collapsed into bed and curled up around a still damp Plagg. That night, she drifted off with a smile on her face to the scent of the sea and the sound of Plagg’s rumbling purr in her ear.

 ~~~~  
  


Morning came far too rapidly for Marinette, but despite her lack of sleep she felt rejuvenated after her late night swim. Which is why at the crack of dawn, she hopped out of bed all bright eyed and bushy tailed and headed for the shower. The house was silent, her parents long gone to the diner they owned for a long day of work, so the young woman had no qualms about turning on the radio and cranking it up full blast so that she could sing along to it while in the shower. She took her time in the shower, scrubbing her body top to bottom and taking extra care with her shoulder-length raven-colored locks. When she was done, she turned off the water and wrapped a big, fluffy towel around her body. Another went in her hair as she swiped away the fog on the mirror.

She was quick with her makeup; a hint of smoky eyeshadow, a swipe of cherry vanilla lip gloss, a brush of mascara to make her unusual blue eyes pop and she was good to go. She brushed out her long hair, half drying it with a blowdryer before tying it back into a ponytail to air dry, then finally danced her way back to her bedroom to pull on her uniform. This summer, Marinette would be working down on the beach as a Lifeguard. She had been training and taking all the required courses for the last two months and today was her first official day. Even on the days when she wasn’t required to get in the water, just being nearby would satisfy her itch enough to get by. The uniform was pretty straightforward. A red spaghetti strap tank top emblazoned in white with the word Lifeguard emblazoned across her chest and pair of black board shorts. A red visor, also emblazoned with _Lifeguard,_ was settled atop her long black hair. Turning, she grinned at the black cat currently stretched out atop her pink and black comforter.

“How do I look, Plagg? Ready for my first day?” She asked, holding out her arms and turning in a circle before the cat. The cat lifted his head slowly, green eyes cracking open to blink at her briefly before he dropped his head with an uninterested _mrrow_. She wrinkled her nose at him in return. “Lot of help you are, ungrateful furball,” she muttered. The cat simply rolled over with a flick of his tail so that his back was to the girl.

Snorting, Marinette cast the cat one last unamused look and slipped out of the bedroom, leaving the door cracked just enough to allow the cat to come and go as he pleased. Bouncing down the stairs, the young woman entered the kitchen and dug through the fridge for something to eat. Training began at noon, and it was early enough that she could eat and go for a quick run before she had to be down at the beach.

She eventually settled on a bagel with cream cheese and some fresh fruit, eating to the drone of the news as opposed to the radio. On the little island that she called home, there wasn’t much news, to begin with. Nothing much ever happened in Seapoint, aside from the occasional Whale sighting. Finishing her breakfast quickly, Marinette called a quick farewell to Plagg before pulling on her sneakers, grabbing her bag, and slipping out the front door. The door locked securely behind her, the young woman set off at an even pace down the long, winding road that led down into town. She jogged past tree-lined roads, which eventually became dotted with the occasional house. The road slowly became increasingly populated until at last, after about two miles, she came to the town itself. Seapoint Cove was a small town, mainly residential streets that surrounded Main Street. Main Street was the hub of all Seapoint activity since it contained the Grocery Store, the Gas Station, a handful of restaurants, a general store, and a hair salon.

It wasn’t much, and for any sort of actual shopping they had to take the ferry to the mainland, but it was home and Marinette loved it. She slowed as she reached Main Street, offering breathless greetings as she passed people she had known her whole life. Despite her breathlessness and her sweat-slicked skin, she honestly felt like she could run five more miles before needing to stop. She was always filled with boundless energy after one of her late night swims. She forced herself to relax, knowing she had a long day ahead of her and continued on through town at a more sedate pace. About halfway down the long stretch of Main Street, she finally found herself in front of Bri’s Diner, the adorable little shop her parents ran. The bell above the door jangled loudly as she stepped inside.

Bri’s Diner was what you might expect when you cross a small town diner and a woman who _loves_ the color pink; a mix of cute femininity and retro that just sort of fit. The floor was black and white checkered tile, leading up to the counter where the register and display case sat, along with a line of red vinyl cushioned bar stools if you wanted to eat at the counter. Edging the walls were comfortable looking booths, evenly spaced, with plush aqua and white vinyl covered benches. Large picture windows dominated the front of the shop and the walls were a soft, welcoming baby pink and gray. A Jukebox sat in one corner of the bakery, playing some old Elvis Presley song. Beside the chalkboard menu was a small wall covered in old records, and directly behind the counter, a guitar signed by Elvis Presley himself was mounted on the wall.

The diner was packed, as it was most mornings. Her father was an excellent cook, having gone to Le Cordon Bleu in his early twenties. It was how he had met her mother, who was a Cashier and occasional Pastry Chef at her parent's bakery. From what Marinette understands, they had a rocky relationship at first. Her father could be rather prickly whereas her mother was all sunshine and unicorns. The bakery was closest to his school and had the best pastries in all of France and when her father was struggling on perfecting his pastries he began going to the bakery regularly to study the food he purchased. Her mother was there whenever he came in, drawing the gruff man into conversation whenever she could and eventually convinced him to go on a date with her.

They fell in love, and when her father graduated from Le Cordon Bleu they moved to Seapoint Cove where her father had been raised and bought the diner. A few years later, they found a baby floating in the ocean while on her great uncles fishing boat and decided that it was fate, having just found out they were unable to have children only a few months prior. It was honestly the sweetest story Marinette had ever had the pleasure of hearing and she always got a sort of thrill when she thought about her part in their tale. Of course, she often wondered where she came from and if someone out there was missing her. She obviously had birth parents. Dead or alive, she might never know, but she had to have come from somewhere. That being said, Marinette loved her life and her parents. She loved her Uncle Fu, she loved her friends and she loved living in a tiny town where everyone was on a first name basis with everyone else. And she loved living so close to the ocean, feeling a connection to the rippling waves that she could never quite describe. She had always chalked it up to the fact that the ocean was the only key she had to her past.

“Hi, Mama!” Marinette called, bouncing up to the counter with a wide grin on her face. Cerulean blue eyes set in a freckled, heart-shaped face met hers and a wide grin curved the woman’s lips upward. Despite not being blood-related, Marinette did resemble her mother, Bridgette Fu, quite strongly. They had the same blue-black hair though where her mother let hers grow out, Marinette kept hers cut just below the shoulders. They had the same porcelain skin, similar bone structure, and the same dusting of freckles across their cheeks and nose. Their eyes were similar in shape and color, but Marinette’s eyes were more like bluebells or maybe the color of the ocean, as opposed to her mother’s more sky blue gaze. Regardless, unless you grew up in Seapoint Cove, anyone looking at the pair would immediately assume they were biologically mother and daughter.

“Marinette, you’re up early! Ready for your first day of work?” Bridgette greeted her daughter with an enthusiastic and bubbly grin. The teen bobbed her head, making her ponytail bounce against her neck.

“Beyond ready,” she confirmed, beaming up at her mother across the counter. The biggest difference between the pair was their height. Marinette was petite, barely over five feet tall and weighing less than a hundred pounds soaking wet. Bridgette was tall and willowy, standing closer to her husband’s six-foot build.

“Mari, is that you?” Her father’s typically reserved voice preceded him before he stepped out of the kitchen. Her father, Felix, was all tall and lean muscle. Golden blonde hair normally brushed his shoulders but was now tied back into a small ponytail to avoid getting in the food. His bone structure was more narrow and angular, and his eyes were the lightest of blues she had ever seen on another person. His usually grim face morphed into a soft grin as he opened his arms for her and she didn’t hesitate to bounce around the counter and into his embrace. Bridgette’s arms came around both of them to squeeze the life out of her little family and when they finally broke apart, Felix held his daughter out at arm's length.

“Let me look at you, kid,” he said, a suspicious wetness edging his eyes. If anyone asked, he would claim allergies but Marinette and her mother both knew he was secretly a big sap.

“ _Papa_ , seriously? I’m not a kid anymore,” the teen grumbled good-naturedly.

“You’ll always be my little girl,” Felix argued.

“I’m almost eighteen,” she insisted, extracting herself from his grip and crossing her arms. The smile on her face softened her stance from defiant teen to grudging affection.

“You will _always_ be my little girl,” he father reiterated and with a final roll of her eyes she gave up and settled on just giving her parents another hug.

“I gotta go. Don’t wanna be late to my first day,” she said, giving them a final squeeze before releasing them.

“You have everything?” Her mother asked.

“Have you eaten yet?” He father inquired.

“ _Yes_ , I’m fine, I’m good. I’ll stop by the diner after work to help out so will you _stop_ worrying?” She asked, a teasing lilt to her voice.

“Never,” her parents said together with twin grins. With a smile on her face, Marinette bid them goodbye and stepped back around the counter, waving once more before slipping through the door and starting her jog to the beach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, lemme know what you think. I love hearing what people like or don't like about my work. It helps me improve and encourages me to continue writing

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think!


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